Exercising apparatus



J. S. C. NICHOLLS AND M. W. SMITH.

Exgclsmc APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED AUG-I7. 1920.

Patented May 23, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

l. S. C. NICHOLLSAND M. W. SMITH.

. EXERCISING APPARATUS. APFLICATIN FILED AUG-I7. i920.

Patented my 23,1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

klldllillh@ STATES JOHN S. C. NICHOLLS, OF :BOSTON7 AND W.

CHUSETTS.

SWITH. OF SOMERVILLE.- MASSA- EXERCISING APPARATUS.

Be it known that we, JOHN S. C. rCHoLLs. a citizen of the United Statesa residing at Boston. in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts. and MARTIN YV. SMrrIi. a citizen of the United States, residing at Somerville, in the county ot Middlesex and State of ll/lassachusetts.v have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Exercising` Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

rlhis'invention relates to exercising apparatus and particularly to exercising apparatus ot that class comprising a hollow han (lle-piece within which `is arranged a drum on to which is wound a cable or the like having one end thereof fastened to the drum, said cable extending from the drinn through an opening in the wall of the handle-piece to the exterior of the latter and being normally held wound up upon the drum. by means of a spring arranged within the handle-piece and connected with said drum. The usual manner of using an apparatus of this class is to fasten the outer end ot' the cable to a wall or other fixture and while grasping the handle-piece. move the latter toward and from the place where the outer end et the cable is anchored. As the handle-piece is moved away from said anchorage the cable .is drawn out thus'winding up the spring which opposes the movement of the handlepiece away from said anchorage, and as the handle-piece is moved toward the anchorage the spring takes up the slack of the cable and rewinds the latter upon the drum.

This invention has for its object to provide an improved exercising apparatus of the class indicated and it consists of an exercising apparatus et this class having the peculiar features of construction and arrangement oi parts set forth in the following description and particularly pointed out and defined in the claims at the close thereof.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a central longitudinal. sec tional view of an exercising apparatus constructed in accordance with this. invention.

Figure 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Figure 4- is a partial en-d view of the apparatus shown in Fig. l.

Figures 5 and 6 are details of the key hereinafter referred to.

Specification of Letters Patent. Pgigtmgtgd f-lgw/ 23, 1922' I Application filed August 17, 1920.

Serial No. 404,281.

Figure 7 ,is a side elevation partly broken away of another itorm of the invention.

Figure 8 is an end view of the same,

Figures 9 and 10 are details hereinafter referred to. The handle-pieceA ot my improved exercising apparatus as herein shown is ot suhstantially the same size and shape an ordinary dumb-hell. comprising two end en largements or balls 1, 1 connected by a hand grip 2 ot relatively small diameter. The handle-pieceA is made hollow, the ends thereoic being closed hy pressed sheet metal end wallsl 3 and t removably fastened in position by pressed sheet metal caps 5 and 6. respectively. rlhe handle-piece A is formed at each end thereot1 with a cylindrical nipple 7 which is exteriorly threaded to receive upon it one ot the caps or 6. both of which latter are interiorly threaded as shown. Both end walls Sand 4 are cupw shaped and ot the same exterior diameter and shape as the interior ot the nipples 7 within which they are fitted, each of said cup-shaped end walls being made at its chine with an outwardly extending flange 8 clamped irmly against the end of its nipple 7, or S` by its cap 5, or 6 so that it cannot rotate relatively to handle-piece A. The end wall 3 is formed with a central circular hole therethrough which provides a bearing 9 within which is journaled a trunnion 10 consisting or" a short length ot' metal rod whose inner end occupies a hole bored into one end of a wooden spindle 11. said metal trunnion being rigidly fastened within said hole hy a pin 12. At its opposite end the wooden spindle l1 is similarly bored to receive the inner end of another metal trun nion 13 likewise tastened to spindle 11 by a pin 14T. Near its outer end trunnion 13 is1 as shown in 'Figs 1-4, made with a short `length 15 which is non-circular in cross-section and which occupies a correspondingly shaped hole 16 provided through end wall 4 at the center thereot.V Thus the trunnion 13 is normally locked against rotating relatively to end wall 4. and at the same time shoulders 19 are provided at opposite sides thereof to bear against the inner face of said wall. Outside ot' wall 4 the trunnion 13 is made with an end portion 17 that is non-circular in cross-section and connected with the non-circular portion 15 by a cylindrical neck 18 which is about the saine inllength as the thickness of Wall 4. The cap 6 at this end of the handle-piece A is made with a central hole 2O to admit the socket end of a key or Wrench 21, Figs. 5 and 6, said key or Wrench being made at its end with a socket 22 which is of the same size and shape, both as to cross-section and depth, as the non-circular end portion 17 of trunnion 13. l

The spindle 1.1.y `together with its trunnions 10 and 13 are yieldingly urged toward the Wall L1 bya helical spring surrounding said spindle, so that said spring' normally holds shoulders 19 against the Wall 11 with the non-circular portion 15 of trunnion 13 Within the non-circular hole 16 of said end Wall. It will be clear. however. that by inserting key 21 in hole 20, sliding it onto the non-circular end portion 1T, and pushing said key `inwardly until it bears against wall fl-.vthe spindle 11 together 'With its trunnions may be shifted axially against the force of spring 22), and that when this is done the noncircular portion 15 o1 trunnion 13 is moved vout of hole 16 and the cylindrical portion 18 into said hole thus Vfreeing the spindle 11 from Wall d so that it maybe rotated either to wind up or unwind spring 23. lt `will also be clear that as the key is withdrawn the spring 23 shifts the spindle back toward the right replacing the non-'circular portion 15 Within hole 161 The spring 23 thus serves tivo purposes. viz, to rotate spindle 11 and also yieldingly urge it toward Wall lso as to hold said spindle interlocked with the Wall. Rotatably mounted at its ends upon the trunnions of spindle 11 is a metal tube 25 Within which is arranged the spring` 2&3, one end of said spring being fastened to pin ne a1' one end of the spindle and the opposite end thereof being fastened to tube 25. ABall bearings 26 and 27 are provided between the ends of tube 25 and trunnions 10 and 13,'the bearing 26 beingpermanently secured Within its end of the tube and the beai'ing27 being' removably secured Within its end of said tube by an interiorly threaded c ap o1' thimble 32 screwed onto the exteriorly threaded end of tube 25.

`The tube 25 has tast upon it two pairs of flanges 28 and to one of the flanges of each of said pairs-is secured the inner end o'facable 29 normally held wound upon tube 25 `by the spring 23. Each cable 29 eitends from tube 25 through a hole 30 `formed through the wall oi3V liandlapiece A :to 'the exterior of the latter Where it is jproyidedfat its'outer end, With a snap-hook 60 Slitihfhich i'sgreater in size than the hole 3() 'so afs `to serve as a stop to limit the moven enftoi the cableinto handlepece A under the influence of spring 23.

-Fibre Washers 33 `mounted upon trunnions 10 and 13 between the ends of tube 25 and Walls 3 and f1 prevent'rwear olf said tube and Walls.

Preferably the handle-piece A is made from 'two sheet metal segments a, a pressed to shape by means of dies and which, when placed together, provide a hollow sheet metal dumb-bell-sl1aped handle-piece having circular nipples `at its ends adapted to be exteriorly threaded to receive upon Vthem the caps 5 and 6, said nipples each being constituted by tivo semi-circular.nipple segments, As will be clear. the caps 5 and 6 serve notronly to fasten thewalls and L1 to the handle-piece A. but also to fasten the tivo segments fr-a` together.

lt desired the noircircular outer. end of trunnion 18 may be used as a handle or linger piece by means oiE which the spindle 11 maybe manually manipulated to adjust or regulate the normal stress of spring 23, thus dispensing with key 21. Y l

ln Figures 7 to 10, inclusive, is illustrated a form of the inventioii, in which the spindle 1 11. shown by `itself in Fig. 10, is 'a single lpiece of metal rod provided at one end with an integral handle 21?'. The handle piece A consists of two concave-convex dumb-bellshaped sections a, ci, of cast metal` made at their ends with abutting ivallsrzL and et'. The Walls 3' are formed with registering semicircular notches 9a', 9a Within which the adjacent cylindrical end of spindle 11a is joui'naled. While the abutting edges of Walls t, are made with registering notcheslla which provide a non-circular aperture that is normally occupied by the non-circular portion 15a ot spindle 11a. Thespindle 11a has a tube or slcc-ve 25 mounted upon itand connected therewith `by a spring (not shown) like the spring 23 of Fig. 1.

Exteriorly threaded .u registering nipple segments 7F' are provided atrthe opposite ends ofsegments a. upon which are screwed nuts 5 and 6a by which the tivo segments a are fastened together.

Upon one side edge oi' one sectioned. is provided av lug 34 occupying a notch vformed in one side edge ot thei other section to lock the two sections together against endivise displacement.

. The improved exercising apparatus above described is of very simple7 inexpensive and strong construction; the pull of the spring upon the cables during use Vof the apparatus remains substantially yconstant owing to the comparatively great length of spring Which it is vpossible to use, and the stress of the spring can be regulated with ease and dispatch to suit the user.

What is claimed is: 1 l

1. An exercising apparatus ofthe character described comprisinga handle-piece consisting of t-Wo concavo-convex metal sections each made at opposite .ends thereof with nipple segments; means fitted onto said nipple segments to hold said sections' together; a drum rotatably mounted Within said handle-piece; a cable having one end thereof tened to said drum7 said cable extending from said drum through a hole in said handle-piece to the exterior oi the latter` and a spring Within said handle-piece and connected With said drum for Winding said cable onto the latter.

An exercising' apparatus of the character described connprising a hollenv handlepiece consisting of two coneavo-convex sections each made at its ends with nipple segments, said sections being disposed side-byside with their nipple segments registering to lorm a complete nipple at each end of said handle piece, and each complete nipple being exterior-ly threaded; an interiorly threaded nut screwed onto each nipple; a. dru-m rotatably mounted Within said lian-z1llepieceg a cable having one end thereof fastened to said drum7 said cable extending Yfrom the latter through a hole in said handle-piece to the exterior ot the latter, and a spring Within said handle-piece connected with said drum for Winding' said cable onto the latter.

3. An exercising apparatus of the character described comprising a hollow handlepiece consisting of two concavo-convex dumb-bell sections each made at its ends with nipple segments, said sections being disposed side by side With their nipple segments registering in pairs to provide tivo complete nipples each of which is exteriorly threaded; an interiorly threaded nut screwed onto` each of said complete nipples; a drum rotatably mounted Within said handle-piece; a cable having one end thereoi fastened to said drum, said cable extending from the latter through a hole in said handlepiece to the exterior ot the latter; a spring Within said handle-piece connected with said drum for Winding said cable onto the latter. and attaching means secured to the outer end of said cable.

la An exercising apparatus of the character described comprising a hollow handlepiece; a spindle mounted Within said handlepiece with provision for rotary and endivise movement thereof; a drum rotatably mounted Within said handle-piece; a cable havingr one end thereof fastened to said drum and extending from the latter through a hole in said handle-piece to the exterior of the latter; a spring having one end thereof connected with said drum and the other end thereof connected with said spindle so au to act rotatively upon the drum and in an endivise direction upon the spindle; means on said spindle normally held interlocked with said handle-piece by said spring to prevent rotation of said spindle, said means being disengaged from the handle-piece to permitof adjustment of said spindle and spring' by endvvise movement of the spindle in opposition to the spring.

5. An exercising apparatus constructed in accordance with claim 4 but having one end of the spindle extending to the exterior of the handle-piece so as to be accessible for use in manual manipulation of said spindle.

6. An exercising apparatus constructed in accordance With claim l but having one end of the spindle extended to the exterior of the handle-piece and provided With a handle.

n testimony whereof We have affixed our signatures.

JOHN S. C. NICHULLS. MARTIN W. SMITH. 

